YAMAHA FZ600
Andy Bolas bags another bike for his collection!
These nostalgia-fuelled purchases seem to be getting a more regular occurrence at the Bolas household!
A few years back (ok, many years back) I had only ever ridden two-strokes! This was all about to change mid-1992 as I saw a 1988 FZ600 in PW Ranger, which was my local dealer at the time. I was very much in love with the twin headlights and silky white colour scheme, so when the offer of a test ride came up I thought it would be rude to say no.
Now, bearing in mind every bike I had ridden up to this point was a two-stroke, the engine breaking from the little FZ’S motor was something of a shock to me! To the young Bolas the FZ seemed a more competent bike than both my old MK3 Gamma and also my bike at the time, a 350 F2 YPVS. A good deal was put on the table, but in the end I was still in love with
the blue haze and smell of Silkolene lingering in the air so I ended up keeping the F2. I had fancied getting an FZ for a while, but never really saw anything worth owning for sale for a number of years, but with the upsurge of interest in the production class in the CRMC the bikes seem to get snapped up quickly and put to work in the club’s production class. So much so that I thought I had missed my opportunity.
However, while manning the VJMC stand at the Classic Car and Bike Show last November I was approached by a lovely old chap who had a couple of bikes he wanted to move on as he was approaching 70 and he just wanted them to go to a good home and – yes, you’ve guessed it – one of them was a 1988 FZ600, same colour scheme as the one I rode all those years ago. The bike had sat untouched during his ownership due to his wife not allowing him to ride it (he apparently purchased these two bikes without any discussion with his wife and when she found out he was told he wasn’t allowed to ride them, but he could keep them).
The seller John was very honest about the bike in his description and forwarded me lots of pictures so I decided to take a trip down to Chesham. John was telling me that around a year ago he and his mechanic friend had rebuilt the carbs and got the bike running, and he had fitted a new battery the day before I went to look at it and also added some fresh fuel, but he hadn’t attempted to start it up. John handed me the key and said I could start the bike. After a few attempts it was clear it wasn’t happy, so into the van for some tools so I could drain the carbs and try again. This time the bike fired up briefly on two cylinders then died. What I had drained from the carbs was almost like a luminous green slime.
So, with a little question mark over the motor I turned my attention to the rest of the machine. Everything seemed to be there. The bike had taken a tumble at some point as the top fairing had been repainted. It was fitted with pattern mirrors and front indicators, and the rear number plate holder/mudguard was cut down, but the rest of the bike was original and in fairly good condition. All the panels had a few little cracks but nothing major and, most importantly, it was still wearing its original one-piece exhaust system, which was in pretty good condition! This was by far the best one I had seen for sale for a number of years and had low miles and few owners. It also had lots of old paperwork up until John had taken over
ownership. So after a little bit of banter and haggling, F780 TMF became mine and this is where our journey begins. I decided more or less straight away on the trip home that the bike was going to have a full nut and bolt restoration using as many of its original fixtures and fittings as I possibly could.
When I got the bike home I had a word with our friends at AG Autos to see if they could give the carbs a quick clean for me so we knew what state the motor was in before we went any further. Anyway, a couple of days later I had a message asking me to pop down to have a listen to the FZ as they had got it running. The motor sounded absolutely spot on with no nasty rattles or smoke, so with this good news I set about sourcing a new pair of genuine mirrors and I also found a brand new rear number plate holder/mudguard in my loft. So over the next few months the FZ will hopefully be transformed from a nice condition bike into something that looks like it has just rolled out of the showroom in 1988.
So far I have removed the bodywork and taken it over to the painter and that is as far as I have got. Looking at the bike now with the bodywork removed I can’t see any nasty surprises or anything which causes me concern; even the petrol tank is spotless inside, with absolutely no corrosion whatsoever. The tyres were fitted new when John purchased the bike just over a decade ago so I am afraid it will be bye-bye Bridgestone BT-35S. I’m not sure what the best tyres will be now for the FZ so I’ll be looking into that. I think the worst part is probably the finish on the engine itself, which I think to do a proper job it will need to be completely stripped, which is a shame as it’s a lovely runner, but as I previously said I want this bike to look as good as new! Wish me luck!